Close to home

[mandragora]

So, something woke me up in the early hours last night, and I heard sirens etc. But as I live in London I hear emegency services sounds all the time and didn't think anything of it.

Until I tried to drive to the supermarket. Road at the end of mine, leading to the North Circular, was cordoned off. Now the North Circ is the main arterial road across the whole of North London. It's actually classified as a motorway, as it's a multi-lane highway for the most part. So, if the North Circ is closed, a large part of North London grinds to a halt.

And, oh, did it ever. I drove round some backstreets to try and take an alternative route to the supermarket. But all the backstreets were gridlocked. I'd never seen 'em like that before, not even during rush-hour. Gave up in the end, turned round and came back home and set off to walk to another, closer, supermarket to pick up a few things to tied me over until tomorrow.

I figured that there must have been some sort of serious accident to close down the North Circ, and as I crossed over the North Circ on route I saw one of the vehicles involved being taken away. Took one look at it and knew there must have been a fatality - there's no way anyone would have survived in that car. Asked a police officer when the road would be reopened and they were hoping for within the hour - but that was a good 12 hours after the accident happened.

Got home, to find that the accident was on the news (BBC report is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6602905.stm). Turns out it involved a police chase, and pedestrians crossing the road - the same part of the road that I'd just walked across and cross every time I walk to the park, or to the local village (London is largely made up of a combination of villages) - at least one of whom was killed outright and the other is in intensive care.

The driver of the car, a BMW, that was being chased is alive. The driver of the car he or she collided with (a Citroen, and the car I'd seen being removed from the scene) is dead. Sadly, the blameless driver, and pedestrian, have paid the price for the other driver's criminal behaviour.

Comments

Here in the US

[zorrorojo.livejournal.com]

Some communities, mostly in the northeast and california, have outlawed police chases if the chasee is not an immediate threat (IE bank robber, armed person, escaped convict.) The police are supposed to get the information and arrest the driver later.

I don't see how that would work with a stolen car because the driver isn't the owner. The laws are usually in response to incidents like the one you've posted about.

I really don't know how I feel about it. Totally mixed feelings.

Stuff like you witnessed happens all the time in the US, what with our cultural fantasy of the wild wild west. People watch too much damn TV where no innocent bystanders ever get hurt in a police chase.

I don't really know what I'm saying. Sigh. Just a couple of weeks ago, in Texas, a nine month old infant was killed in a police chase.

Re: Here in the US

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about conflicted feelings.

I don't know the reason for the police chase; it may have been a simple TWOC (taking the vehicle without owner's consent), in which case bearing in mind that it's a relatively low-level crime it would have been better to avoid the chase.

But there may have been a more serious investigation going on, and in those circumstances the police can't really be criticised for chasing the suspect.

In any event, most times, even people who are engaged in TWOCing will usually pull over fairly soon after being ordered to do so. This was an extreme case by British standards. Thankfully.

That poor infant in Texas. I echo your sigh.

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

Wow, there were other people in the car too? Maybe they were hostages, or there were firearms in the car, or something.

I doubt we'll hear any more about it outside of the London area, even via the webpages, which is a bit sad really.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

There were two other people in the car that was being chased. They, and the driver, were all seriously injured. Without knowing the ages of the people in the car it's difficult to speculate whether they were joyriders or potentially involved in more serious criminality.

The pedestrian who died was a 26 years old lawyer, and the driver of the other car (who also died) was a taxi-driver.

Interestingly, although I gleaned this from the local news, my mother, who lives in Yorkshire knew all about it, as well. So, it must have made the national news, as well.

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

Ah, I only watch the Breakfast programme, so interest must have died off by then.